Family Uses Charcoal Grill For Heat, Suffers CO Poisoning

TOWN OF ARCADIA, Wis. (AP/WCCO) — Sheriff’s officials say 13 people were overcome by carbon monoxide when a charcoal grill was used inside a home in Trempealeau County.

Dispatchers received a call about an unknown medical condition at a home in the Town of Arcadia late Sunday afternoon. First responders found seven adults and five children suffering from the effects of carbon monoxide. Some were unconscious.

“I looked and saw Officer Hanes come out of the house and drop to the ground and start vomiting and start gasping for air. That’s when I knew we had a medical issue and I ran to the house,” Arcadia Fire Chief Jeff Halvorsen.

Authorities say a police officer who responded was also overcome and was treated and released from a local hospital. Three helicopters and five ambulances were dispatched to the scene to transport the injured.

Most of the victims are now out of the hospital.

Investigators say it appears the occupants were using the grill in the kitchen for heat. They reported the family was using the grill after running out of propane.